Germinal centers (GC) are sites in peripheral lymphoid tissues where B cells proliferate, switch classes of antigen receptors, and increase their affinity to antigens.
Germinal centers (GCs) are transientlyformed structures within B cell zone (follicles) in secondary lymphoid organs – lymph nodes, ileal Peyer’s patches, and the spleen– where mature B cells are activated, proliferate, differentiate, and mutate their antibody genes (through somatic hypermutation aimed at achieving higher affinity) during a normal immune response; most of the germinal center B cells (BGC) are removed by tingible body macrophages.
This selective processoccurs in microanatomical structures known as germinal centers(GCs) (Berek et al., 1991; Jacob et al., 1991b), which emerge in several copies within secondary lymphoid organs upon exposure to antigen by infection or immunization.